Personal growth and development is such a powerful thing. I believe we should never become stagnant or comfortable with who we are. There is always room to improve!
For the last handful of years, I have dedicated most of my time to growing our family. My kids have required all of my time, energy and focus. Even though I often hear how important it is for moms to regularly practice self care, I didn’t always prioritize it. I thought self care was more about finding things that I enjoy, and even though finding my own hobbies did bring me great joy, it never truly fulfilled me.
Like most moms, I too, put on some baby weight over the years. It served it’s purpose and allowed me to give life to five beautiful and healthy kids. But I also remember telling myself I would focus on losing the baby weight when I was done having kids. Now that that time is finally approaching, I’d better keep my word to myself. I am ready to make a change!
We Are What We Repeatedly Do
One of my favorite things to do while I’m busy doing household chores is listen to podcasts. I am a huge fan of Jenna Kutcher’s, The Goal Digger Podcast. In one of her most recent podcasts, she was explaining the importance of habit stacking. Have you heard of that before? This process involves grouping together small activities into a routine which you link to a habit already set in your day.
Habit stacking builds on the areas in which we already operate on auto pilot. Have you ever tried to change the order in which you shower or get ready in the morning? It takes a whole new level of focus to make sure you didn’t miss any steps!
So what does habit stacking have to do with getting healthier?
Creating new, healthy habits can be challenging. But when you combine it with an established habit that you already do automatically, this could be the secret to making healthy habits a permanent part of your daily routine.
Its Not a Short Term Diet, Its a Long Term Lifestyle Change
A few months ago, I decided to make a big change and focus on implementing a more plant based diet. This meant limiting most, if not all, animal products. You can read more about this plant based food journey in my post, My Secret to Having More Energy for My Kids.
I’ve never been successful with fad diets. I wanted to implement healthier eating habits that would last a lifetime and not just until I reached my goal weight. Making conscious decisions on what I put into my body helps me sleep better, gives me more energy, and makes my mind feel so clear.
Thankfully, we were already pretty good at limiting fast food. So transitioning to a plant based diet really only required replacing some of our meals and snacks with healthier alternatives. But I am still pretty lenient on dinner. My kids are picky and I don’t like making multiple meals to please everyone’s palettes.
Once a week, I figure out a meal plan. With a plan in place, I am less tempted to seek out fast food. Plus, doing grocery pick up once a week keeps me out of the store so I’m not daydreaming about the foods I am choosing not to eat.
Any Exercise is Better Than No Exercise
Trying to exercise while at home with my kids is a challenge. Something as simple as a walk turns into a full blown parade, gym membership prices spike with needed childcare, and at home workouts are hard to prioritize when there are a million things and multiple kids pulling you in different directions.
Despite the challenge, I finally found a solution. I invested in my health big time and bought a smart exercise bike. I love how easy it is to use! The monthly challenges and coaches keep me motivated so I continue getting on the bike everyday.
I never thought I would utter these words, but I love waking up at 6am! This usually allows me a couple of hours of quality me-time before my kids start to wake. So by habit stacking my morning routine with a new exercise routine, I was able to capitalize on and improve the very first part of my day. And boy, does it feel good!
Be Accountable
Did you know sharing your goals helps keep you accountable and also increases your chances of achieving those goals?
My goal is to lose 1.5 pounds a week, which means I’m hoping to lose 30lbs by the end of the year. So, I’m curious, do you have any goals you’d like to accomplish by the end of this year? Let’s keep each other accountable! Follow me on Instagram (@blissthismess), where I’ll be updating you on my health and fitness journey!
3 Comments
Bravo Jess!! It’s so hard to prioritize ourselves when we have SO MANY responsibilities as moms! I’d never heard of habit stacking before, but it totally makes sense on how it works. I’ve always sort of just thrown myself into new habits full steam without much of a game plan beyond staying consistent, but I love the idea of attaching new habits to similar existing ones. Keep at it! I’m sure you’ll see results!
I love all of this! What stood out to me was that any exercise is better than no exercise. That’s great insight. I’ll have to remember that one!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post!